Insulated masonry block and method for producing same

ABSTRACT

An insulated masonry block which has very high insulating properties, is water resistant, and is light-weight being easier for masons to handle and lay, and a method for producing such an insulated masonry block. Wherein, a pre-formed, high-strength foam core, which is the insulating material, sandwiches and joins two inner walls of the insulated masonry block together. A method for producing such an insulated masonry block comprises: placing a pre-formed insulating foam core in the middle of a standard block form; filling it with concrete, cinder, or any other known building compound aggregate, and allowing it to cure. An end block can be produced using this method with the exception that a shorter length insulating foam core is used allowing for the formation of concrete at one end of the block. Various sizes and shapes of an insulated masonry block can be produced using this method.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

“This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60-623,712, filed Oct. 29, 2004.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a masonry block, and more particularlyrelates to a new insulated masonry block which has high insulatingproperties, is water resistant, is lighter in weight than known blocks,is easier for masons to handle and lay. And, the present inventionrelates to a method for producing such an insulated masonry block.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of an insulated concrete block is known in the prior art andsuch a block has been employed in the construction and building industryfor several years. Known concrete blocks consist of basically common,expected, and obvious structural formations, and a limited array ofvarious designs have been developed to achieve the objective andrequirements of insulating structures built with these blocks aswitnessed by prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,381, September, 1965,Perreton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,881, November, 1978, Muse; U.S. Pat. No.4,193,241, March, 1980, Jensen et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,845,September, 1982, lannarelli; U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,887, April, 1983, Lee;U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,071, September, 1986, Sams et al; U.S. Pat. No.4,748,782, June, 1988, Johnson et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,961,September, 1988, Johnson et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,249, August, 1988,Nickerson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,609, April, 1995, Kelley, Jr.; U.S. Pat.No. 5,421,135, June, 1995, Stevens et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,670,August, 1998, Muncy; U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,293, February, 2003, Miller.

The present invention provides a novel method for producing an insulatedmasonry block in which a insulating foam center, by use of dovetail typeshaped tenons and mortises sandwiched and interlocked with the twomasonry side walls while the concrete or cinder is drying instead ofusing resins to glue an insulating foam core to concrete walls. And,dovetail type tenons and mortises are formed laterally in the innersides of the two masonry side walls of the present invention whichprovides for a stronger and sturdier insulated block than known in priorart.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Reviewing the disadvantages inherent in the known types of insulatedcement blocks now present in the prior art, the present inventionprovides a new insulated masonry block wherein the same can be used forconstruction which does not require special handles for the constructionworker or builder to use in order to lift and place the insulatedmasonry block.

The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a newinsulated masonry block and method of manufacture which has manyadvantages of the insulated blocks known in prior art and many novelfeatures that result which is not anticipated, rendered, obvious,suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art insulated blocks,either alone or in any combinations thereof. And, the present inventiondoes not require extra labor by the construction worker, as knowninsulated blocks in the prior art such as inserting the insulating foaminside the block prior to use. The present invention provides for astronger, sturdier, and higher quality insulated masonry block in that ainsulating foam, core is placed inside the form as the concrete ispoured into the form instead of being bonded or glued to two concreteside walls once they are already formed. This method of producing aninsulated masonry block of this invention provides a superior insulatedblock and prevents an inherent problem which is the erosion of resins orbonding materials used in the insulating blocks known in the prior art.

Furthermore, it will become obvious to those skilled in the art that anidentical insulated masonry block can be constructed by pressing apre-formed insulating foam core, with tenons and mortises on its outerwalls, betweeen two pre-formed masonry side walls which have tenons andmortises in their inner side walls.

Directional and or geometrical terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “side”,“lateral”, inner, outer, “horizontal”, “longitudinal”, “vertical”, etc.are used freely hereinbelow but it will be understood that suchterminology is employed for convenience of description only and is notto be regarded as in any way limiting the invention in thespecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The insulated masonry block of this invention will be described in moredetail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate aspecific embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the insulated masonry block.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the end block which is formed using ashorter insulating foam core insert which allows cement to fill and forma wall at one end of the block.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pre-formed insulating foam corewhich is inserted into the form before it is filled with cement, and itshows the tenons and mortises.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the same parts areidentified by the same reference numeral in all figures of the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a specific embodiment of the insulated masonry block, asix-sided body generally rectangular in shape with a top, bottom, twoconcrete side walls, and an insulating polyeurethane foam insert, of thepresent invention, indicated generally by reference numeral 10. Wherein,said insulated masonry block 10 has overall measurements, but notlimited to, of 15⅝ inches by 7⅝ inches by 7⅝ inches. The two sideconcrete walls indicated by reference numeral 14, 14 have measurements,but not limited to, of 15⅝ inches longitudinally by 7⅝ inchesvertically. The insulating foam core insert indicated by referencenumeral 12 which is sandwiched between the two side cement walls 14, 14is a six-sided body with a series of tenons indicated by referencenumeral 20, 20, and a series of mortises by reference numeral 22, 22,and a center hole indicated by reference numeral 16 which is 2¾ inches,but not limited to, in diameter which can be used for electrical wiring,steel bars for reinforcement, or filled with mortar as the need may be,and two half circular cavities indicated by reference numeral 24, 24laterally on opposite ends of the insulating foam core insert 12 whichare half the diameter of hole 16.

In FIG. 2, a specific embodiment of the insulated masonry end block ofthe present Invention indicated generally by reference numeral 11wherein an end wall indicated by reference numeral 18 is formed byallowing concrete to fill around a longitudinally shorter insulatingfoam core insert indicated by reference numeral 15.

In FIG. 3, a perspective view of the insulating foam core insert 12 isdepicted with a hole 16, tenons 20, 20, mortises 22, 22, and halfcircular cavities 24, 24.

1. An insulated masonry block comprising: a six-sided body, generallyrectangular in shape, with a top, bottom, two spaced, parallel,rectangular shaped side walls, and an insulating foam core, sandwichedbetween said side walls.
 2. said side walls of claim 1 have inner sidesand outer sides.
 3. said insulating foam core of claim 1 is apre-formed, six-sided body, generally rectangular in shape with a top, abottom, two sides with a series of dovetail type shaped tenons andmortises running vertically top to bottom, a center hole runningvertically top to bottom, and two ends with half circular shapedcavities running vertically top to bottom.
 4. said center hole of saidinsulating foam core of claim 2 can be used for electrical wiring, steelbars for reinforcement, or filled with mortar.
 5. said half circularshaped cavities of said ends of the insulating foam core of claim 2 arehalf the diameter of said center hole.
 6. said rectangular shaped sidewalls of claim 1 have a series of dovetail shaped tenons and mortisesrunning vertically top to bottom on their inner sides which are formedby inserting the insulating foam core of claim 1 into a standardconcrete block form and allowing concrete, cinder, or any other knownbuilding compound aggregate to fill and cure around it.
 7. said tenonsand mortises of said insulating foam core sandwiches and interlocks withsaid tenons and mortises of said inner sides of said side walls of claim1
 8. the rectangular shaped side walls of claim 4 have a uniformthickness.
 9. an end block with an end wall is formed by allowingconcrete, cinder, or any other known building compound aggregate to filland cure around a longitudinally shorter insulating foam core ofclaim
 1. 10. the insulating foam core of claim 1 may be constructed outof polyeurethane, polystyrene, or any other known insulating foammaterial.
 11. an insulated masonry block of claim 1 can be constructedby an alternate method of pressing a pre-formed insulating foam core,which has tennons and mortises on its outer walls, between the innerwalls, which have tenons and mortises, of two pre-formed masonry walls.